Kiths A-L

ST NOTE: The Dual Kith merit no longer exists in 2^nd Ed.

Antiquarian

This dagger was made in Persia in the early 14th century, I believe it was made in Tabriz and the blade is meteoric iron. It was also used to murder another of our kind 11 days ago…

 Some people have a natural affinity for museums and history; many seek to make a career of this, others have their vocation forced upon them by the Gentry. Like most of her kind, the antiquarian was created to care for her Keeper's collections. She was charged with knowing the location of every item, fetching it for her Keeper, and often explaining it to them.

• Beast: With large eyes, slender dexterous paws, short grey fur, and long whiskers, this changeling has a rat-like appearance.

• Elemental: She appears to be a living statue made from antique ivory and polished brass.

• Wizened: His eyes have built in jeweller’s loups and his hands contain precise clockwork gears. He is a melding of centuries old technology and grey, slightly dusty flesh.

Blessing:  When using Academics to research ancient lore or books or artefacts that are more than a century old, the Antiquarian achieves an Exceptional success on three successes instead of five. If she spends a point of Glamour, she can use the Psychometry Merit without spending Willpower (or purchasing the Merit). Gaining impressions from events less than a week old imposes a -3 penalty on her roll, which drops to -2 for events less than a month old, and -1 for events less than a year old. Older events impose no penalty.

Artist

 I don't do commissions anymore. I don't care how much you are willing to offer. These days I make my art for me. If you like what you see here, I'd love for you to buy it, but now my time and my inspiration is my own…

 Artists pursued or attempted to pursue their art before their Durance, and often their efforts were what drew the Gentry too them. The Gentry prize artists, but many do not treat them well, commanding them to create new wonders without ceasing. An artist's Durance usually consisted of endless toil making his art or arts. 

• Darkling: A menacing and somewhat insect-like creature with large eyes and dexterous hands. 

• Ogre: This ill-formed muscular brute has intelligent penetrating eyes, fingers that are as dexterous as they are strong, and scars made by the tools of its trade.

• Wizened: This creature's body exists to best perform its favoured form of art. Its fingers have additional joints and its entire body is optimized for drawing, woodworking, or whatever other art is most often performs.

Blessing: When creating using a crafts specialty (which can be anything from a cake to a symphony), the artist only requires 3 successes (instead of 5) to achieve an Exceptional Success. If he spends a point of Glamour, for the next scene he also adds his Wyrd to his rolls, at a maximum of +5, to create this work.

Blightbent

Paramedic said your lungs would look like fried scrapple if you hadn’t gotten your mask on. Me? Nah I’m fine. You’d be surprised how long I can hold my breath…

Not all the realms of Arcadia are untouched, primeval wilderness. Whether a twisted reflection of urban landscapes or corrupted from the bile of their Fae owner, some are polluted hell-scapes of sulfuric clouds, corrosive sludge, and contaminated soil. Blightbents are those changelings who survived in these conditions, breathing foul air and eating poisonous food, forced to become lesser versions of their tainted masters. 

• Darkling: A soot stained waistcoat, sizzling footsteps, and a stovepipe hat that occasionally belches smoke.

• Elemental: Pitted chunks of concrete and globs of asphalt strung together with rusted re-bar.

• Wizened: Skin like slick yellow plastic, a mouth like a Gigeresque respirator, and nictitating membranes. 

Blessing: When using Survival to find shelter from an extreme environment, the Blight bent gains an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. Spend a point of Glamour to produce a cloud of caustic smog with a radius in meters equal to your character’s Stamina. The cloud either causes a concealment penalty or deals lethal damage with a Toxicity equal to the character’s Wyrd. The cloud lasts for a scene without outside intervention.

Brewer

Never let Sara mix you a drink. The last time she played bartender for the freehold, we all woke up three days later in a clearing in the hedge with a gang of goblins calling Joe, “your majesty.”

The brewer is trained in the art of alchemy and potion making, supplying both intoxicating substances and poisons for the freehold. The changeling was created to brew arcane tinctures for her master. Not only did she make brews and potions of unknown substances, but often she was forced to test the potency and efficacy of her brews on herself. 

• Elemental: The changeling is coated in a sheen of viscous fluid, her hair is tinted the colour of dried vegetation, and her eyes are liquid brown.

• Ogre: The Ogre has overlarge muscles and his skin is mottled with sores and bruises as the effects of his brew testing.

• Wizened: She is large and portly with some piece of her trade a permanent part of her body. Maybe her torso is a cauldron, or her fingers are flattened like wooden spoons. 

Blessing: When using Science to concoct a liquid mixture, the Brewer achieves an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. The changeling may spend a point of Glamour while touching any liquid to change it either into a potent alcohol or a poison. If it is an alcohol, it gains a Potency equal to her Wyrd plus successes rolled on a Wits + Crafts roll. If it is a poison, its Potency is half that, rounded up.

Bright One

 It does appear suddenly brighter in here, doesn’t it?

Twinkling eyes, radiant smiles, glowing skin; all signs of the passion and vitality that burns within some people. All of which drew the True Fae to these mortals like giant moths to a fragile candle flame. In Faerie that inner light was pulled to the surface, harnessed by the changeling’s Keeper. Hung from ceilings, installed in wall sconces, or sealed in glass domes, these Lost were used to illuminate all manner of Fae dwellings.

• Darkling: Angler fish-things with translucent skin, bioluminescent patches, and lidless, glowing eyes.

• Elemental: Phosphorescent figures seemingly carved from polished amber, warm ivory, and glistening ice.

• Fairest: Perfectly sculpted physiques with glowing, oiled skin, halos of tiny, glimmering stars, and incandescent brands.

Blessing: When using socialise to attempt to become the centre of attention, an exceptional success is achieved on three successes instead of five. The Bright one always glows, even if the mask prevents Mortals from seeing it. The Bright one can spend a point of Glamour to flare up for a turn, blinding her foes. Each turn the Bright one uses this blessing her enemies take a point of Bashing damage and suffer a -2 penalty to all Mental and Physical actions.

Broadback

 We should stop. You look like you’re ready to fall asleep on your feet…

 Some Gentry collect vast stores of material goods. Whether as beasts of burden pulling endless wagon trains, or as porters with whole houses strapped to their backs, the changelings used to transport these goods become Broadbacks. Driven beyond mortal exhaustion they plodded on, tapping into reserves of strength and determination to continue their pointless journeys. They’re stubborn bastards. They had to be.

• Beast: Chimerical amalgamations of animals known for being stubborn, rhinos, elephants, goats, and camels.

• Ogre: Tireless, towering brutes who ignore all injury while methodically closing in on their prey.

• Wizened: Shrunken bodies strapped into smoking, clanking metallic walking machines.

Blessing: When using Stamina to move a heavy object, the Broadback achieves an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. The changeling suffers no penalties due to fatigue and injury. The character also adds his Wyrd to his Doors in Social Manoeuvring. Spend a point of Glamour as a reflexive action during a social interaction to add his Wyrd to a contested action to a Resistance trait.

Chatelaine

While you’re within the freehold, I suggest you follow all rules to the best of your ability. I cannot be held responsible for the kinds of trouble you may find yourself in if you breach protocol. Rules are in place for a reason, not the least of which is safety…

The chatelaines have a reputation as well-mannered and meticulously neat changelings with a preoccupation for organization. A chatelaine does not begrudge this stereotype since it often gives her a place within a freehold and she is not one to shy away from responsibilities. The True Fae make the Chatelaine as a servant or personal assistant, groomed for specific and exacting tasks around the Gentry’s estate. Shy may have spent her entire Durance performing one task over and over again, striving for a perfection that was just out of her reach.

• Fairest: The Fairest is beautiful and tall, her face mirrored to better reflect her master.

• Ogre: The changeling is large and strong often without eyes, ears, or tongue.

• Wizened: He is short of stature and easy to overlook.

Blessing: When using empathy to understand a targets desires, the Chanteline gains an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. The Chantaline may spend a point of Glamour for the scene and roll Manipulation + socialise, on a success the Chantaline may use the social merits of one other character for the duration of the scene is if they were her own. After the scene characters act as if the target had used the merits herself.  

Dancer

I’ll make sure everyone’s’ eyes are on me. They always are, of course, but I mean more than usual this time.

There is an undeniable beauty inherent in all motion. The Lost who became dancers know this, though like everything in Fairies, that knowledge was paid for in ways best forgotten. Some performed on stages of red-hot bronze or while wearing shoes of jagged crystal for their Keeper’s entertainment. Others served in palaces made of glittering knives, their agility necessary to carry out even basic actions.

• Beast: Long legs ending in three talented toes, an impossibly thin neck, and a fluttering train of emerald and sapphire feathers.

• Elemental: A frantically cavorting pillar of fire, a sinuously undulating column of water, a gently swaying tree, all vaguely humanoid.

• Fairest: Lithe, pliable limbs, exaggerated angular features, and flowing, dance-like movements to music only they can hear.

Blessing: While using expression in a movement based performance, the Dancer achieves an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. While performing, Spend a point of Glamour, all onlookers apply his Wyrd dots as a penalty to their Wits + Composure rolls to notice anything other than the performance and  onlookers must make a Composure roll with half their Wyrd dots as a penalty. Anyone failing the roll gains the Obsession Condition related to him.

Draconic

Get out of this neighbourhood! If I see either of you or any of your friends around here or if you try to send the Huntsmen after us, I'll know who to blame. I know who you two are and if anything I don't like happens, I’ll come for you both.

The Gentry create Draconics to inspire fear and awe. These reptilian beasts are destructive creatures of primal terror. One Keeper who created a Draconic might have wished own a wondrously impressive beast, another sought an impressive guard or military commander. Before their Durance, many Draconics were interested in power and all of them were filled with confidence. Now, every Draconic is terrifying and tough. 

• Beast: A horrifying reptilian monster with thick scales and long claws.

• Elemental: A dragon-like elemental beast, most appear to be made from stone, metal, or coloured glass.

• Wizened: She is clearly a human who has been remade into a dragon, with human eyes and the forms of human limbs beneath her scales.

Blessing: When using Strength to inspire shock and awe in another, the Draconic achieves an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. By spending a point of Glamour, His thick scales transform a number of lethal damage he takes equal to his Wyrd in a turn into bashing damage and he can do lethal damage with his unarmed attacks. When this blessing is activated, the Draconic may add Wyrd to all Intimidation rolls for the rest of the scene.

Earthbones

He’s as strong as the earth and as immovable. That’s not to say he doesn’t have feelings. He’s probably the softest one of us deep down, he just doesn’t know how to show it past all that rock hard exterior.

An earthbones says little and endures much. His rocky body affords him both strength of form and spirit. The earthbones might have been moulded from clay or hewn from stone, or he may have spent all his time in Faerie within a cave too close to the soil. The changeling may have been forced to stand as a support pillar for a structure, form a small private island for his master, or simply be the stone statue gracing her halls. 

• Fairest: The changeling is carved completely from obsidian stone with moss and lichen serving as his hair.

• Ogre: The Ogre’s body is formed from large lumps of mismatched clay pressed together and held in place by rods of hard packed earth.

Blessing: When using Composure to resist emotional manipulation, the Earthbones achieves an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. The Earthbones is as powerful and indestructible as the earth and stone he is formed from. He gains X/X armour, where X is equal to half his Wyrd. With a point of Glamour, he can also take half his Wyrd as ballistic armour for a turn. This armour stacks with mundane or supernatural armour.

Fireheart

I remember existing as a single flame in an endless plain of fire. I'm home and free, but I'm still drawn to large fires, I suppose that's why I became an arson investigator.

A Fireheart is not merely a creature of flame, her thoughts are also inhumanly swift because fire also engulfed her mind. Keepers dwelling realms of flame, brass, and stone created some Firehearts to serve as scholars or highly attentive and effective servants. Other Firehearts spent their Durance as works of art made of fire or as part of a wall of fire surrounding and protecting their Keeper's home.

• Darkling: Patterns of flickering green and blue flames cover the creature's hairless skin like living tattoos, and its eyes shine with wicked dancing fires of the same colour.

• Wizened: Crystal bands glowing with flickering internal fire are grafted to the creature's joints. When it becomes emotional, fire briefly engulfs its head or hands before the crystals suppress it.

Blessing: When using Wits to react to an unexpected event, the Fireheart achieves an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. Whenever she wishes, her touch can start a fire like a match. By spending a point of Glamour, the changeling can perform any extended task that is mostly or entirely mental, like composing a speech or performing research with blinding speed. If each roll in an extended task normally requires an hour or less, she can make one roll per turn.

Gargantuan

Stand back. I’m going to block the hallway.

As with all things related to humanity, the True Fae have no concept of, nor care about, human scale. Palaces are built to immense dimensions, each brick the size of a city block. The changelings stolen away to these titanic realms needed to be resized to fit their new surroundings. Some were stretched on massive racks, while others were force fed until they reached an appropriate size. A few were simply “lucky” enough to be the head of a massive collection of grotesquely fused bodies.

• Ogre: A massive brute, seemingly clothed in rocks and boulders, capable of swelling to even more monstrous proportions.

• Wizened: Telescoping clockwork limbs, an inflatable torso, and a huffing bellows canister strapped to its back.

Blessing: When using Intimidation to act as a barrier or obstacle, the Gargantuan achieves an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. Spend a point of Glamour and an instant action to grows to titanic proportions, adding half her Wyrd dots to her Size for the scene. While grown, characters who can feel fear must succeed in a Resolve + Composure roll penalized by her Wyrd in order to attack her. Once they’ve succeeded in this roll, they can continue attacking until she’s caused damage to them, at which time they must roll again to continue.

Grey

 You really should be more careful who you shake hands with. Now that I know all about how you betrayed the previous Earth Queen are you more interested in agreeing to back my candidacy? 

This kith is relatively new and is the result of Keepers enhancing changelings' minds, often at the expense of their bodies. One was created as a watchful overseer for other changelings, able to spy on her charges' thoughts, another helped his Keeper locate mortals to abduct, and a third was a component of a vast Gentry controlled telepathic hive-mind. Before her Durance, a grey may have been an intellectual who had trouble understanding others and was granted her desire in a strange and often disturbing fashion. Another might have had latent psychic gifts that the Gentry found useful. 

• Beast: Her grey rubbery skin resembles that of a dolphin or a squid and she has the black featureless eyes of a shark.

• Fairest: Attractively androgynous, completely hairless, with large eyes, and an elegantly large head, this creature looks like a fashion model from a science fiction story.

• Wizened: His grey hairless skin has been fitted small implants made of metal and glowing glass, especially around his enlarged skull. 

Blessing: When using Empathy to read the motives of another, the Grey achieves an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. Spend a point of Glamour, she can use the 3-dot Telepathy Merit if she touches someone or looks into his eyes. She may add her Wyrd to the activation dice pool and using Telepathy in this fashion does not require spending Willpower.

Gristlegrinder

I hear you need a body disposed of. Give me, say half an hour? Hey. You wouldn’t happen to have a fork and knife handy?  

Gristlegrinders were those changelings forced to eat their own during their time in Arcadia. Whether served as steaming, pink slices on golden dinner plates or ripped raw from the bones of wayward travelers, the flesh of other Fae slowly became their preferred meal.

• Darkling: Impossibly wide mouths filled with recurred fangs, leading down to elastic, distending gullets.

• Fairest: Immaculate dinner attire, impeccable table manners, and jaws that unhinge behind politely shielding hands.

• Ogre: Railroad spike tusks, bone-crunching mandibles, and tongues like serrated files for extracting marrow.

Blessing: When using brawl to grapple for the express intent of eating the target, the Gristlegrinder achieves an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. She can make bite attacks without needing to grapple, and her teeth count as a weapon that does lethal damage. If she is holding an object of size smaller than herself she can opt to swallow it whole. She spends a point of Glamour and her mouth extends to encapsulate the object. With a successful Stamina+ Survival roll the object goes down without a hitch. Her stomach deals two lethal damage per turn and a trapped character must deal at least five lethal in a single attack to escape, the Gristlegrinder cannot apply her defence against these attempts.

Helldiver

Oh! Hey there Guy. Sorry to spook you. Occupational hazard of the job I guess…

Occasionally the Gentry need to get places they cannot even reach. Sometimes they need a spy or a theif for their byzantine intrigues, someone who will go unnoticed and unaffected to places even angels would fear to tread.

• Beast: Large, inquisitive eyes and vestigial wings - incredibly quick and nimble, though hungrily still when listening.

• Darkling: Never appearing completely solid, eyes unnervingly wandering around the room; lips moving in repetition of the voices it hears.

• Elemental: like a creature from an alien landscape, expression unreadable and prone to unfathomable ‘quirks’ of behaviour.

Blessing: When in the Hedge, Arcadia or any other unearthly realm, the Helldiver achieves an exceptional success on all larceny rolls on three successes instead of five. Spend a point of Glamour and roll Dexterity+ Occult; on a success she begins to fade into an invisible incorporeal form. This takes a number of turns equal to 10 minus her Clarity to fade during which she cannot interact with people or objects and non-magical attacks pass right through her.  Once she has completely faded she acts like a dematerialised hedgeghost, unable to physically interact with anything except other immaterial beings or objects, hedge ghosts, changelings using the “Whispers of Mourning” Contract, the unquiet dead and spirits of all stripes. She can see and interact with these no matter what their current state. If she comes across an entrance to another world such as a Gate to the Underworld or the shadow she may spend a Glamour to open this as if it were a Hedgeway. If ephemeral beings are normally material in this realm the Helldiver also becomes material. The Helldiver can spend as long time in these relams as she wants, but she still requires basic necessities such as food and sleep. To return to the Mortal world she rolls spends a Glamour and rolls Dexterity +Occult, fading back at the same rate that she entered.

Hunterheart

I’ve got his gaze now. As long as you don’t make any sudden movements, he’ll just stand there like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck.

The Gentry don’t need only humanoid servants, and hedge beasts lack a certain intelligence. The changelings that became Hunterhearts were the guard dogs, trained falcons, and hunting hounds of the Arcadian realms.   

• Beast: Fur and feathers, teeth and talons; a chimerical combination of predatory animals from Dr. Moreau’s worst nightmares.

• Elemental: Bear trap jaws, rifle-barrel fingers, Ghillie suit “skin” hung with fishing lures; the essence of hunting given form.

• Wizened: Claws lashed to hands and feet with sinew, mottled green and brown skin, and slitted eyes beneath an animal skull headpiece.

Blessing: When tracking creatures from faerie, the Hunterheart gains an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. If the target can see the Hunterheart’s eyes, the Changeling may spend a point of Glamour to lock the target in place or cause him to flee in terror. The Hunterheart rolls Presence + Wyrd, contested by Composure + Supernatural Tolerance. The target gainse the Insensate Tilt or the Frightened Condition if the Hunterheart is successful. If the Changeling attacks the frozen or fleeing target her unarmed attacks deal Lethal damage.

Jeweleyes

“You hurt my friend,” her voice was steady and calm, despite the exertion. With a grunt she heaved the man across the room. She stalked to his limp form, ignoring the bullets slamming into her body as his goons fired at her. She put one foot on his neck and pushed down hard, hearing a satisfying snap as she did so. She took one look around the room as everything went quiet, “Who’s next?” She asked in that same deadpan tone.

The Jeweleyes is known for her even temperament and stoic resolve. Sometimes other changelings mistake her cool attitude as aloofness or apathy, but underneath the cool exterior burns a fierce passion. A Jeweleyes is forged from the earth as living gemstones, forced to prove her worth to the Gentry in battle rings — hoping to be seen as the most lovely and deadly and given a short reprise to sit on display in the cavernous halls of her master’s abode. Forced to always fight, a Jeweleyes has a hard time relating to others. Yet, when she finds a friend, she is truer than any other. 

• Elemental: Elemental jeweleyes are humanoid in shape, but are composed entirely of a crystalline structure.

• Fairest: The changeling has jeweled points on his body, his nails, eyes, and teeth glitter with the look of cut gems. 

Blessing: When using Stamina to resist a power or effect that would assign a Tilt, the Jeweleyes achieves an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. Spend a Glamour, the changeling gains an automatic success on any Stamina rolls to endure fatigue or pain and add her Wyrd as a dice bonus to her action this turn if she suffers from any wound penalties.

Leechfinger

I don't like to be grabbed, it reminds me of events I'd rather forget. See, you don't like being grabbed either, and I imagine you're feeling a bit weak. I'll let you go this time. If I ever see you pawing another woman, I'll make certain you never do so again.

Leechfingers are predators that Keepers create to prey upon other changelings and hedge beasts. Some Keepers forge them as overseers or for combat, others use them to deal with hedge beast incursions in an entertaining manner. A Leechfinger does not need to feed to survive, but finds stealing life very pleasurable. Some Keepers made Leechfinger’s from human predators, other Keepers sought out desperate or amoral individuals in poor health.

• Fairest: A tall beautiful creature with long somewhat animate hair. His hair is bright red immediately after he feeds and becomes paler the longer he goes without feeding.

• Darkling: Their skin is ash grey and they look deceptively haggard and withered. All the better to extenuate their long blade like fangs.

• Wizened: Narrow tubes radiating from her heart run along the surface of the skin of her arms and torso. These tubes connect to fine needles under her fingernails and in bands around her wrists.

Blessing: When the Leechfinger uses Medicine to determine the Health of a potential target, they exceptional success on three successes instead of five. By spending one or more points of Glamour and touching the skin of a human or living supernatural creature, she can steal Health. Each point of Glamour causes the victim one point of Bashing damage. The leechfinger can use this damage either downgrade one point of Aggravated damage to Lethal damage, one Lethal to Bashing damage or heal one Bashing damage. As long as the Changeling remains in contact with the target she may spend one Glamour per turn to continue the effect. If the target is a Changeling the Leechfinger deals two points of Bashing and can downgrade two points of damage per turn.